Attorney General Eric Holder has informed Congress that the Obama administration will not defend lawsuits against the US military that seek the benefits of marriage for same-sex couples.

Attorney General Eric Holder [wrote that] the 1996 federal law that defines “spouse” as “person of the opposite sex” is a violation of the Fifth Amendment right to equal protection under the law.

This is consistent with the administration’s previous decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which is now being defended by lawyers from Congress.